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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT 



A REMEDY 

FOR 

sifeV 

A GREAT EVIL; 

-A 

HOW SHALL WE VOTE? 



BY 

LEWIS G. CLARK, 

THE "GEORGE HARRIS 11 OF U UNCLE TOM'S CABIN. 11 



DETROIT, MICH.: 
Ferguson Printing Company. 

1890, 







Copyrighted, March, 1889, 










LEWIS G. CLARK. 
The "George Harris 1 ' of "Uncle Tom's Cabin.' 




INTRODUCTION. 

'HILE everything else connected 
with human affairs seems to be 
approaching perfection, the very 
system and foundation of just 
government is let stand at loose ends. I 
refer to the ballot. 

So much depends upon the casting of a 
vote; and yet thousands look upon it 
with profound indifference, while even 
more than this scarcely give it a thought 
beyond what trifle it will bring. 

Think of the large number of drift- 
wood people who value their vote at any 
price from a glass of whiskey to a suit of 
clothes! * The ballot in the hands of such 
people becomes a most unreliable thing, 
oftener giving strength to wrong than 
power to right, thus defeating its own 
object. There are others whose aims are 
higher, but who are guided solely by pure 
selfishness. Their employes must vote as 
they direct or suffer the consequences, 



Then, too, all the votes cast in their sec- 
tion of country must be in support of cer- 
tain principles. If they were not so in- 
tended they must be so counted. 

Men of wealth and power run this great 
machine, leaving justice altogether out of 
the question, and indeed I am of the 
opinion that the majority of votes polled 
in America are influenced by oppression 
direct or indirect. 

I can see but one way to cure these 
political diseases, and that is for the Gov- 
ernment to adopt a good system, one sure 
to bring the desired results, and then 
rigidly carry it out and save our great 
country from ruin and oppression. 

It cannot be denied that the South 
needs regulation in this matter. There the 
free ballot is a mere mockery. 

I have faith to believe that the system 
I have reasoned out will accomplish just 
what is needed. Yours truly, 

Lewis G. Clark, 

The " George Harris" of " Uncle Tom's Cabin." 



A REMEDY FOR 

A GREAT EVIL 



OR 



HOW SHALL WE YOTE? 




HAVE seen and heard so many 
complaints on account of unlawful 
voting and tested elections, and as 
I am deeply interested in the mat- 
ter, I have studied a plan that if carried 
out would be a complete remedy for the 
whole matter. I would have each state 
pass a registration law and have all legal 



voters meet at the accustomed place of 
voting, and have their names registered, 
and the registration board should be com- 
posed of one competent man from each 
national party then in existence, and there 
should be at least six days' time given to 
complete the work of registration, and 
any one that did not register his name 
during that week should not be allowed 
to vote. Also I would have an envelope 
prepared by the state for each registered 
voter that should be so constructed that 
it would be difficult to imitate or counter- 
feit. Perhaps the envelope might be 
printed after the fashion of a bank bill, 
and have special private marks on it, so a 
detective could detect any counterfeit one, 
if such a one should be used in any way. 
These should be sent to each postmaster 
in the vicinity where the voting is done. 
Let it be his duty to deliver to each regis- 
tered voter one envelope by his presenting 
to him a certificate that was given him by 



the registration board, it having been 
signed by each member of the registration 
board, and each postmaster should have 
the person receiving his envelope to sign 
on the back of his certificate, his name 
and residence before a witness, or make 
his mark, as is done by those that cannot 
write, according to law in other cases. 
And it shall be the duty of the postmaster 
to return all of the envelopes that are not 
called for to vote with. Any persons that 
have been registered as legal voters, and 
each person that did not call for their 
envelope, or did get it and did not use it, 
and is still alive, shall be subject to a fine 
not less than $10 and not more than $25 
for such neglect of duty, after the state 
has gone to the expense to prepare and 
arrange protection for him to vote peace- 
ably. For the voter may inclose any 
one's name in his envelope that he may 
think best, and seal it and drop it in the 
ballot box himself, after the board may 



io 



find his name on the registered list. He 
need not hand his envelope to any one, 
but shall put it in the box with his own 
hand, so no one can have the chance to 
mark it with either indigo or lamp-black 
under his thumb or finger nail so as to 
know how he voted. This is for protec- 
tion to the dependent voter. All halls or 
houses where voting is done should have 
two doors, and as soon as a man has voted 
he should go out the opposite door; there 
being a wire or ropes stretched across from 
door to door, or if there was only one 
door the wires should be so arranged as to 
turn and let them pass out the same door 
they came in. And there should not be 
any one allowed to stay in the room dur- 
ing the time of voting or counting, except 
the officers. For there will be no need of 
the insulting way of challenging the voter 
as to his right to vote. If any one should 
put more than one vote, or more than is 
right to be put in his envelope, they will 



11 



not be counted for him. After each elec- 
tion is over all returns should be made to 
the Secretary of State, with all the regis- 
tration lists and all of the envelopes that 
had not been used, together with all that 
had not been called for, and all of the 
names of those that had been registered 
and did not call for their envelope. This 
is necessary in order to prevent men from 
being hired to stay away from the polls. 
It should be the privilege and duty of 
every lover of our government to help 
carry out this plan of voting, so as to pro- 
tect life and liberty and make our country 
just what it should be, a free and sover- 
eign government where each man can vote 
as he thinks and no one know how he 
did vote; so as to discharge him, or close 
a mortgage on him, or else an account on 
him, or have his friend do it. There are 
many ways to punish voters that have 
never been brought to light yet. For 
there are many men that seem to be liberal 



12 



as a general thing on money matters, and 
when it comes to their politics they are 
unreasonable tyrants and oppressive, and 
will lie without guide or gauge. And here 
let me say I have often thought that the 
vulgar artist has a very low opinion of the 
refined taste of the American people, when 
he engraves so many hideous caricatures, 
as representing the formation and figure 
of the several candidates for the Presi- 
dency of the United States, and many put 
them in their windows for sale. Now I 
have always looked on these things as be- 
ing very degrading to the mind, especially 
the young. It has nearly the same effect 
that it has on the young to see a man 
staggering and falling drunk. Such can- 
not help but lower the mind of the young 
in relation to the respect that they should 
have for men. All such is degrading to 
all of us to a certain degree and cannot be 
otherwise. As to slanderous and vulgar 
reports against men of opposite politi- 



13 



cal parties, there is no end to it and there 
should be a stop put to it, and I am sure 
it could be done by punishing those that 
dare to do it, just as those who are guilty 
of any other slanderous reports against 
private individuals. And in order to meet 
the case, when persons are nominated for 
any office in town, city, county, borough, 
district, territory or Nation to be voted 
for, and any person knowing of any rea- 
son why such a person should not be 
voted for on account of their disreputable 
character, such person should be required 
to enter complaint against such nominee 
within ten days after the candidate was 
nominated, or forever hold his peace in 
relation to the matter. And if a complaint 
is made against a candidate, the same 
should be tried before a jury of twelve 
men, they being taken or selected from 
each party, as well as having three judges, 
one from each large party, as now in poli- 
tics. And if the accused should be proven 



14 



to be a person not worthy of trust, any 
persons voting for such a one, their votes 
should not be counted, and the expenses 
of trial should be paid by the town, city, 
county, state or nation, according to what- 
ever the case was. If any person slanders 
one that was a regular nominee for any 
office, by any means either in language, 
circulating reports, printing slanderous 
pictures or circulating the same, if it can 
be proven on him by two or more compe- 
tent witnesses, he shall suffer both fine 
and imprisonment, not less than one hun- 
dred dollars and not more than ten thou- 
sand, and be imprisoned not less than one 
year and not more than five years in the 
state prison. And in default of paying 
the money he shall stay in the prison at 
a reasonable rate until the whole fine is 
paid, according to the common rates al- 
lowed prisoners that work out their fines. 
And in trying these cases of abuse against 
public men, the testimony should not be re- 



15 



ceived as evidence, either for or against 
the accused, from any one that is not of 
unimpeachable standing. 






